The assignment was to design and fabricate something that makes me happy. As a hobby I play music in parties as a DJ and I love how the lights can be synchronized with music. Because of this, I decided to design and fabricate a LED Tower that reacts with the beats of the music and works as a Vu Meter. A Vu Meter is a device that can display a representation of the signal level of audio. If the music is not really loud, only a few LEDS from the bottom will blink. If you increase the volume, more LEDS will start blinking (always following the beat of the music). To controll this I used an Arduino board and I added a Male 3.5 Jack Connector so I can connect any device to the tower. Some specifications of the product are:
Size: 4" x 5"x 7"
Made of 1/4'' clear Acrylic.
Controlled by an Arduino board.
Male 3.5 mm Jack Connector for audio.
Two 1/4'' -20 threaded rods for the main structure.
1/4'' -20 bolts and nuts as spacers.
Below are images of the final product along with images of the design and fabrication process. I also included a video showing how it works.